Checkmate in Classrooms? It's Your Move

By ADAM BOWLES

Published: February 16, 2003

CHANDLER DOWNS, 16, of Avon, loves to play chess. Once a week, he helps supervise an after-school chess club for children ages 8 and up at the Avon Free Public Library.

Mr. Downs, a junior who attends Avon High School, learned to play at age 6 or 7 from his grandfather.

''A lot of chess, once you get past the basic moves, is planning and strategy,'' said Mr. Downs, who is considering studying math or science when he goes to college. ''A lot of it can be applied to other parts of your life, like thinking out the consequences from different actions, which is, more often than not, just not getting into trouble from my parents.''

It seems he shares a passion for the game with State Senator Win Smith Jr., a Republican of Milford. But Mr. Smith, who played on a chess club at Milford High School in the 1970's and continued to play the game while at the University of Arizona, wants to tap into another benefit of chess: its potential to make a positive impact on a child's education.

Mr. Smith has proposed legislation that would create a state-approved chess curriculum to be made available for elective courses for students in elementary school through high school.

''I know it's a great mental exercise,'' Mr. Smith said. ''It sharpens your analytical skills. It forces you to think about problem solving, to be creative, plan, and be patient. These are all great tools for our students to have.''

The proposal has been submitted to the education committee in the General Assembly for consideration. No vote has been scheduled yet.

''I've got some convincing to do to move this into the public hearing phase,'' Mr. Smith said.

Robert Rader, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, said Mr. Smith's proposal was an interesting idea.

''I think chess is one of the great teaching tools and that it is a wonderful game requiring focus, concentration, and the development of strategy,'' said Mr. Rader, who plays chess with his three children, ages 17, 15 and 11. ''When I was growing up we had it as an after-school club.''

While Mr. Smith said he does not want chess programs to take away from a school's core curriculum, he does argue that they should be considered as a potential part of the school day.

Mr. Rader said that such a move would be unusual.

''Traditionally, chess has been an extra-curriculum activity as opposed to part of the curriculum,'' Mr. Rader said. ''It would be unusual to see chess as part of the electives.''

Still, chess as a scholastic endeavor is gaining speed across the nation. When the United States Chess Federation, a member organization with 2,000 affiliates, was established in 1939, its founders did not view the game as an ideal activity for children, according to Tom Brownscombe, the federation's scholastic director.

But that has changed in the last 20 years, especially in the 1990's, thanks in part to the 1993 film, ''Searching for Bobby Fischer,'' which featured a boy chess genius, and, more recently, the children's hero Harry Potter, who enjoys playing the game.

As of Feb. 5, there were 41,328 scholastic members age 14 and under in the federation and 12,228 youth members age 20 and under. That is compared with February 1997, when there were 27,523 scholastic members and 9,631 youth members. In Connecticut, there were 641 scholastic members and 139 youth members in the national association. That is compared with Aug. 3, 2000 -- the earliest state numbers were recorded -- when there were 388 scholastic members and 155 youth members.

Mr. Brownscombe also attributed the increase to several studies, including one in a large suburban district near Houston in 1997 that showed that elementary students who participated in a school chess club showed twice the improvement of non-chess players in reading and mathematics between third and fifth grades on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills.

Chicago, Dallas, New York and Miami all offer citywide youth chess programs. Mr. Brownscombe said New Jersey recently signed a law supporting the benefits of chess and encouraged its use in schools.

''It's becoming more and more accepted, at least among the chess community, that kids involved in organized chess programs do better academically,'' he said.

Chess, which is said to have originated 1,400 years ago in either India, Persia or China, forces players to develop a plan of defense and attack, consider king safety, maneuverability, pawn structure and central control of the board.

Players must visualize the short-term and long-term consequences of their actions before making their moves, a practice that chess experts say helps develop critical thinking skills.

Karen McNulty, the children's librarian at Avon, said she sees another benefit when the 10 children in the club pair off and face each other across vinyl boards for their friendly competitions. ''They are learning societal engagement, sportsmanship and gamesmanship,'' Ms. McNulty said of the young players, who don't have to sit in silence like other clubs and can enjoy snacks during the games. ''They need to cut loose with it and have a little fun.''

In addition to Avon, the Connecticut State Chess Association lists youth chess clubs in Bridgeport, New Haven, New Milford, Norwalk, Stamford and Stratford. It also lists open chess clubs for adults, and some for youths, in 17 towns from Bridgeport to Willimantic.

John MacFadyen, 74, a retired printer, started a chess club five years ago at the Margaret Egan Recreation Center in Milford. Mr. MacFadyen, who first played the game some 40 years ago, said chess was something people can benefit from throughout their lives.

''It keeps my mind sharp,'' he said. ''When you get a little older you have to keep using the gray cells.''

There are several youth chess tournaments, including an annual event in Hartford that the Connecticut Chess Foundation, in cooperation with the Connecticut Association of Schools, sponsors and runs for students in grades 1 to 12.

Meanwhile, Mr. Brownscombe, the United States Chess federation scholastic director, said he expects chess to grow in popularity among youth, despite its lack of star appeal.

''Chess champions have not gotten as much attention as Michael Jordan or Barry Bonds,'' he said. ''I suspect that the majority of scholastic members could not name the U.S. chess champion, which is O.K. with me.''

That champion, by the way, is Alexander Shabalov.

Photos: Reading, writing and rooks: some studies show that the strategy of playing chess can help students improve grades. Nicholas Jones, above, participating in a game with the Avon Chess Club. Below, Evan Travers, 6, making a move against his brother Charles, 9. (Photographs by Thomas McDonald for The New York Times)